Tennessee Vols lose former 4-star recruit just days before the NCAA transfer portal closes
The Tennessee Vols lost another talented defender to the transfer portal.
The Tennessee Vols lost a former four-star recruit to the NCAA transfer portal on Monday.
On3’s Hayes Fawcett and Pete Nakos reported on Monday night that Vols sophomore defensive back Kaleb Beasley is entering the transfer portal.
The portal is set to close on Friday (January 16).
Beasley, 6-foot-1/200 pounds from Nashville, TN, was rated by 247Sports as the No. 18 cornerback in the 2024 recruiting class.
The former Lipscomb Academy standout started his college career at cornerback before moving to safety.
“Beasley is a versatile player like a lot of these guys,” said former Vols secondary coach Willie Martinez last March. “He’s smart. He’s talented. He’s athletic. Let’s move Beasley around to give him the opportunity to win a job…..Because we’re not locked in that he’s just going to be playing at the safety position. He’s capable of playing STAR, and we’re going to move him there, too.”
Beasley finished his Tennessee career with 28 tackles in 26 games and a fumble recovery that was returned for a touchdown.
Tennessee’s secondary will look a lot different in 2026
Beasley is a talented player, but he was likely going to have to prove himself all over again with Jim Knowles taking over as Tennessee’s new defensive coordinator.
The Vols have already added former Penn State safety Dejuan Lane to the roster via the portal.
Lane previously played for Knowles at Penn State, giving him a major advantage over Beasley when it comes to earning playing time in Tennessee’s defense next fall.
Tennessee, which also added Kansas State transfer safety Qua Moss, is believed to still be interested in adding another transfer safety.
Hitting the portal is an opportunity for Beasley to land a new deal while finding a new home.
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